Keep
Austin Dog Friendly is an educational and informational not for profit service.
Your contribution offsets the costs of hosting, smart phone app development,
promotional materials, and the costs of sponsoring events. Thank you so much in
Keeping Austin Dog Friendly. Donations are not tax deductible.

All images,
content, and articles are copyrighted. Copying and pasting is called stealing.

Welcome to the Original
Austin Dog FriendlyTM list where Mouse and I have enjoying dog friendly hangouts
since 2002. The mission of Keep Austin Dog FriendlyTM is to
maintain a healthy relationship between the dog community and local Austin
business. Local business have given us the
privilege of bringing our pets with us so that our pets may
socialize.Dog socialization is just as important as human socialization. Faking
a service dog in order to take your dog with you is a legal and moral crime.
Faking a service is a legal and moral crime. Please refrain from
faking that your pet is a service dog.

Businesses who suspect fake service dogs may ask two questions: 1. Is this
dog required because of a disability? 2. What is the dog trained to
perform for you? *Being cute and making you feel happy is not an acceptable
task. Service animals that pose a direct threat to the safety of others by
barking, lunging, growling, snarling, or lunging at others or prevent normal
business operations or destroys goods may be removed from the business. People
who behave that way may be removed as well.

Thank You so much to all the Austinites who
keep me up-to-date on the latest. And a big
THANKS to all the
establishments for being dog-friendly. Please Keep Austin Dog
FriendlyTM by following some general guidelines. By surfing this website,
you
agree to Keep Austin Dog FriendlyTM and to be a responsible dog owner (read below).

Don't bring ill dogs or dogs from
unknown origins or from a kennel environment into the public without proper
quarantine. Parvovirus is rampant in Austin, and with the
introduction of new diseases (more virulent strains of kennel cough and the
canine flu), it is imperative that dogs that exhibit any coughing, loose
stools, or respiratory drainage stay at home. Most dogs are pretty stoic,
and they can be quite ill and/or contagious to other dogs. Any dogs recently
acquired from unknown origins or from a kennel environment (shelter, rescue
kennel, etc..) should be quarantined for at least 14 days before taking them
out in public. This is a reasonable period of time for any diseases that
might be incubating to surface. Don't be that person who takes their sick
dog out in public. It is highly disrespectful and irresponsible.

Keep your
dog on-leash at all times (unless otherwise specified).
I cannot stress this enough. Keeping your dog on leash will prevent entire
hosts of problems, particularly at locations where the parking area is not
physically separated from patrons. These places include South Austin
Trailer Park, South Congress area, Sunset Valley Farmer's Market, and
Draught House. Problems with off-leash dogs (even friendly ones) can result
in car accidents, dog fights, orsomeone's lunch or dinner being eaten.
Here's just a few excuses I've heard regarding not leashing their
dogs:

The
management allows it. Perhaps the management doesn't notice or they
don't want to upset customers. Business owners contact me about this
issue regularly. Regardless, it is city ordinance. Should an incident
occur, you were breaking city ordinance. That's a citation.

I'll
watch my dog. That's what this young woman said right before her
daschund ran into a moving car headfirst. The little dog's head was
crushed. Even a very large dog is difficult to see in the rear view
mirror. Allowing your dog off leash not only puts your dog at risk for
being hit by a vehicle, but it also put the mental pain and guilt of
hitting an animal on the driver of the car. Dog watching skills also
decline dramatically after drinking alcohol. Drunk human and
unsupervised dog is just a recipe for disaster.

My
dog is friendly. My dog has never done that before. That's what dog
owners say right after a dog fight or aggression incidence. Truth of the
matter is that most people cannot read canine body language; a dog may
be giving signals that it is unhappy long before it reacts. Also, dogs
are not 100% predictable. Even the most well-behaved dog can have a bad
day.

My
dog likes other dogs. Allowing your dog to run up to other dogs is
just plain rude, it is not expressing like. It can be seen as a
challenge, and the dog people run up upon may become apprehensive or
confused. It is the same as if I ran up to a stranger's table at a
restaurant, jumped on the table, and started throwing insults. That's
poor dog behavior. While it usually turns into nothing more than
sniffing, it can turn into something much worse.

Keep in mind that it is a privilege to bring
our pets to these businesses. If the businesses cannot
accommodate you and your dog because they are busy, please be understanding
and gracious. If you and your pet is asked to leave due to behavioral
issues, please do so in a gracious manner.

Keep your dog under control, always on leash per
city ordinance. Do not allow your dog to go wherever he
pleases. Do not allow your dog to pull you around. If your dog is not under
control, please seek training prior to taking your dog out. Do not allow
your dog to bark incessantly.
See
our supporters page for training recommendations.

While you
may allow your dog to eat human food, don't allow
your dog to eat other people's food.

Makes sure your dog is reasonably clean.
No one wants to have lunch next to a stinky dog. Nor does anyone want
fleas.

Make sure
your dogs are up to date on shots. Carry your rabies certificate in the
car.

Please
only allow your dog to only potty away from the main areas, and
please clean up any accidents.

Not everyone loves dogs (yes, I know).
Respect those people's wishes. Please do not allow your dog to approach
people without their permission.

Not
everyone has common sense or decency. People will yank on your dog, sit on
your dog, feed your dog things they shouldn't eat, and hurt your dogs in
other ways. Don't be afraid to correct those
people's behavior for the sake of your dog.

Do not allow your dog to socialize or play with other
dog unless it is safe. Do not allow your dogs to romp and play
when it is crowded. Someone may get side swiped. Do not allow your dog to
approach other dogs without the owner's permission.

*Unauthorized use is strictly Prohibited. DO NOT copy and paste
information from my website. Legal action will be taken. I'm already
aware that an Austin monthly magazine has printed this list twice (2004 and
2006). I'm also very aware that another website has copied and pasted this
site in order to generate google adsense profit. This site also went so far as to pasting
my personal commentary and information about my personal dogs onto his site.
The site still has my original webring programming 8 years later. I
have spent countless hours since 2002 keeping this list updated and with new
features for the sake of responsible dog owners who would like to enjoy what
Austin has to offer with their beloved pets. This list is NOT to be used
to generate revenue, increase business, advertise puppies, or to sell magazines.
This list may be reproduced for personal use only. Note: Dogs are my
hobby. I have nothing to personally gain from working on this site aside
from Keeping Austin Dog Friendly. All costs of this website
and all other associated expenses are paid by me with occasional donations
and support.